OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

tated Statutea. pro~I&es 

the manner or their prpaald Artiole 8rc 8s paltar o? any bounty In this 

e# with the oon8eat or the 

Metrlct Jttdgcs lmrlng jurlstier prorIde% appoint 8 

cr u8lctants rho *ball be nuthorand the ulu-Ice to be paid enoh, 

and &all oert5fy the list to tke Vi8trlct Jo*e, 

or In the erea: ot more thaa one Mstrict Jmlge 

In the county, to the Mstrlot Judges, 3~lc3 tfrc 

Distrlot Judge or the Dietrlct JurIg:es &all t!xz 
owtully wnmider the application for tho 

po%ntmnt of uld assistants and may make al “pnwsary inquiries wn0erd.n~ the qunlificstions of the porwns MEI& fhe posltlon wught 

to be illled and the reownableaern of the salarias requested, rod if, 8Ster cuob consldorat&on, the Dimtriot Jmiga, or irr the went o? 

more th8n One Dl8Wet Judge, a mmlority of the 

Mstritt Judges &all approve the mppolntaaentr 

wught to be made or any timber thereof, he or 

thy shall prepare a list of the sppointcos w 

approved and tbe aalarles to be paid each and 

aertlf’y said llmt t& the Comissioners* Court 

of said wtmty. The Crumlssioners~ Court shall 

thWeup~nor&w theaaountpaidPro~ the General 

Amd of uid county upon the performance of the 

6ervheq and msid court 8ball epproptiiote adeqaato funds ror the pmpo~e* 

you state that you appointed UI aeslstmt, having the 

qu8litiolrtlons of an atforney; oex$iried to the seven District 

&dgeeotYarrieCauntyhl6Da~ qgallfloations, expsrbnoe, 

the mount OS salary to be pald hfm, the duties he ms to pertom. the prlnaljml one being to give you legal advice touching your omcial duties, and asked thrrt his appointment bc 

oontmeb* me &dg06 t&Ok t&C ippliCatiOn rmd@r conelderatiou, approved the appointaeat, certified their action to the 

fhmdseloners~ Court of pwrls County, rbemupon the appointee 

qualified a6 an oasistent, assuimd his dutles'shich he hns 

ww d.noe perfomed most etfoctirely. 

you further state that same parson, not sp orncba, 

bur&f~edthequostion of tbet8lldltyofthe appolntmmtoa 

the Opund U&t tbC 8SSiSturt is 8Xi PttOtWy, ad hi6 ptioipa duty %8 to gbe YOU leg& dT%Oe td~~Chfng yOoUr OmOm 

duties. me Safer hpsr your letter ihat no legal proceedings 

hare been inotituted to test the legality of the appointment 

rab none are oontamplBted# but the questIon Is stllmltted flololy ior pow inton~etba, guiwm+ 8td faiewi0n. 

The oW%ce ot county ondltor is a very k2portent one 

u regard.8 the flwa3 affairr of a wunty. lt is a matter of 

eimnon laumledge that the duties of the County Auditor or n&rrl.sCeuutyextendtoo~ypolltical sub.Urisl~~~srmtfotmdin 

any other eomty of the statot the buslnesrr aMaIm of the 

wunty are tar&al and extertslvs. n3c audltor iu dally contronted r1t.h many legal questtins iwolring the ml%dity of 

nuawoua~ cuat,raoto m6d.e by the wunty and other agencies uI11cb 
,, ,. ..~. ., ,, . ..’ -.:. 

Lloaorable & L Taehbumb B4 R% tozn, page ‘*’ 

he mart 8pprore or re)ooh 6nd nany other legal qumstlons 

frequently ari6e In mnrmction dth his 0ffiah.l alutists. 

&nc of those lega) guestian aro such 6s 6re ctomon to 

all county audItars, mile others are appllc+able only to 

the County Auditor of mrri~ County, Artialmm 1661 tm 

lss6r inalumlrq and ArticiXem 1667r 8s aacsaea, tm iem 

lmlusl~e, &Cat%; Articles zsss8 and Is- -verw11~8 . 

AM. 8tatutcq 8ndCh6ptmr 31, Act6 of the Bpecidl Smmmio~, 

(2rl Legiidoture, ememl.tng Bards County Rod Law, chap, 17, 

Aat. of the Reg. Sosa 33d Leglelatur8. 

The at8tute proeoribos no qu6MXlcationo for 88 

auletsnt wwty audltor~ An mssietmntaay b e l mlmrk, 

mtmnogrmphmr, ti~~kkmmpmr, oertlfG3dpubllo mooounteaf, 

clerk, Sllealwk, typlmt, et&, mdreg6Mlemmottbe 

dutyparfonnedbjany ezuploymeota mmuntyatxUt4wmmmh 

and wery entployee 16 ammemciarily aa us1mtas3t ootmty 

audStmr because t&a l tmtuto rnnkom no prorlmlon for the 

appointnentofcinJ~ootsnployee~the~~foroofher 

fhan 'PUeiSttUltS' Or ~depatles,s Which tmllS6 U-m Usmd intarah8ngeably Sn Art, 16m although their rempeotlre meanalglmnotot-lmwil ymylWayiaoum)tbel~umedirrdioatesthatthefenssre.ro intended to be mpayi16ue. 

The Legimlfbture hfbm Wade It the duty of dlmtrict 

and wuuty attorneys, the Criminal District Attorney of 

hurls County and the Attorney Geacrnl to give legal adrioo'ta camty auditors 8boutznatters toucblng or oonomzw 

lngtholrolflGlml dutlea 'Artlcles3B4# 4399, Bsrimed. 

Stat&w, and At'tiCh a2438 7eracin'r Code of hhiul 

Fromadare* 

Dndertheiaetm mtaatea, adthe l t6tmtm6 6bmre 

mentionad, the quemtlon 1st Tmm theqpmlntw3ntoTthe 

u6imtantmoouatyaudltmrUg6lt 

The appointamnt 8a6 regularly made. Tbo requ%rementsos the rtatute gorerningthmmppofn8mntmsm l trictly ooalplied rith. Itbc.ldallegal, ltmstbeupon tale 

wle ground that the prinoipal duty the rmslmtant pmrfan~e 

188 dutyplmwdby 8ktute oxdlumiredyq~~n the Crialnml 

Dlotriot Attorney OS Ramis Cownty and tbe Attorney -6eaeral. 

It aurstbe rcuenberad that this Mmi8tmntpmrfbmn dathm 

other than to give you legal adriCe Te find a0 iahibitlon 

in the statute against a oaumty 8udit.m aonsulting rith or 

receiving 6dvAoc iron bfs assistante about qnestlons imolring bi6 OffiCial dUtiC?S. It 1s~posslbl~ crad in sane instances ldghly probable that an auditor my have an osaistat far better qualified than he is to pass upon legal ques- 
tIma u%mhg ia the otiios. De the l t6tute6 amt68phte 

Last the urditOr my rPt oaok hi8 uhioet T'c do not fh&& 

m0* geithmr do 80 bmllwe that the 8tatutem aathotiing m 

oounty auditor, or 6ayotkrofTlc1611 ta smmklegal matioe tram him wunty oc dietriot ~ttaney, or tbm Att.omsf 

Oenar& ~tsrplafe~the~l~kior~legil.oOSnion 

irarr theme offloirtm 8bout wmry oftloiml duty he Is rmquired ayl8u to pmrfors. It is true thattho rtatutmmdo 

tWt lblit hi6 t-i&it t.0 uk tot- driCt3 8bOUt qWstiOn8, the 

anwerm to whlah he 10 in doubt but or oeoeodty he sost 

deo%da~ There mrenany queetlmnm mhlmhdaily arimm in taxi 

perfonusnoe of hisoffici4l duties. Ia the instaatcaw, 

the mmsist6at %B either 6n 6ttiwney or porse6ses the quailrlontlons OS 112) rttornt?y. ItlmpFmmunad tbatbe i6 0opble 

o~~~~~~~me(P~u~eo~hislegpl 

. H~Og8&~pu~indotibt8sti 

U~rilidityof8nymentr8ot, tbemmnwotnmsao~maylm& 

tom, or any quamtlm upon which It Is your 0frlc14 duty fo 

dektennin~ you amy beelde the question yoweelF, or you nay 

mmek the advioe of oae or more olt par 666iatm1t6. If l tSl1 

indoubh youhwe the utthorlty te request- mplnlonirmn 

yourCW Mmtrlot Att4Mwqa orthetAttornef6mnmrm3, or 

f?rom bofh’ of tbmb mblcb oplnio4 when recelted, should govmm youty omcl+ utlone 

It 16 Wt ptW4UWd that fotl illteodbd that the advice OS the assistant ahonld control wl~en c-oatrsry fo the 

tiw or the criminal vlmtrl& Attorney or the Attmnmy cmera& or tbrttbmUutiem&pmrSonam mbouldmupa-meaZm tbme 

of the offiel8lm n-da, but to be In 8id twreot. 

A@4 me tbbk it Is ciM6r ih6t the l tatutem lmpow no duty upon either the CrSdnal DLmtI?i(Dt Attornmy or 

tha Attorng ceaeral to pmpare legal tomu tar ymo mr fo 

psrior~otb~dutledp~~y~~L~efop~romae. 

mf3 f8Otm f’tIt%&r diSdO66 th a the l T- 4 h ineatDimtrlot &dgmm rho rpt&riUXi thim mppointrnent did mo 

after ukd wxtmaed lrmestlgatlo4* s7mh lnveatytloB 

~~mmmarfiyiavml+munmtolilyiLloot tbeinfowetloa mmntainedinporrritt~~plioatlontorp~wionfolnalre 

theappointmeatbuttbe verylegal qammtionbmfmrmo* All 

Of tbsu gfSIti@QSn SFe b3SW3d bI the 16TJ h6WB csftea -6 

monmtltutfwul l mtb of offloe; hmd full hwle&gm of rrll. 

the prorbio~~ o f the l ktutoe pertinent to the qUestion 

and being thns rully edvlud tl.eelded that the eppolntmen i 

cuuldbelegallyaade; gnxated your upplb6tlon~orperQlm6lon to make emae# w2xmmpon you did lake It. Their deatalon rlrtudly forecloses the qUestion. 
It Is oar opinion, and you are so ad~Iscd, that 

tlxe appolthent was legal, rend the quo~tlon Is onswerod 

Ln the aftirnatire. 

c 

Xoarr teq truly 

ATTORN'EX GEBEML OF X’EXAS